Gladys Knight shares picture with Tyler Perry and sweet message on his 49th birthday

Legendary singer Gladys Knight took to Instagram to share a photo of herself hugging Tyler Perry. She also penned a sweet birthday tribute to the filmmaker, but we're hoping he doesn't take offense.

The image showed Perry holding on to a mic in one hand while wrapping the other around Knight. The “Neither One Of Us” singer was all smiles as she wrapped both arms around Perry and pressed her head to his chest affectionately.

Perry turned 49 on September 13, and the R&B icon did not hesitate to tell the whole world what the talented playwright meant to her.

“Happy birthday @tylerperry!!! You are truly a friend! I hope you’re having a wonderful day today!”

Knight, who doubles as a successful actor, starred in Perry’s 2009 film “I Can Do Bad All By Myself” and said, “it was really fun making this movie.” She also confessed to almost turning down the role because she did not want to disappoint the faith Perry had in her.

Despite their close relationship, we’re hoping Knight did not treat her friend to a solo rendition of the "Happy Birthday" song.

Back in 2015, Perry made a startling confession to fans in a Facebook post. “I really don’t like people singing “Happy Birthday” to me,” he wrote.

The film mogul then went on to reveal it all has to do with his mother, Willie Maxine:

“Every morning that I can remember until I was 41, I woke up to the voice of my mother singing ‘Happy Birthday’ to me.”

After Maxine’s death in 2009, Perry struggled with getting over her, feeling worse on his birthdays.

The “House of Payne creator” told fans he still woke up expecting to hear his mother’s off-key voice:

“In the split second that it took me to wake up fully, I felt a wave of sadness come over me.”

He added:

“Then I heard [my mom’s] voice in my head saying, ‘Baby, count your blessings. God is good.’ Needless to say, by the time I got through some of these ‘God thank you’s,’ I was feeling so much better. So on a high.”

Perry has remained open about his tortured childhood. The star experienced physical, emotional, and sexual abuse from different adults including his father. Perry notes that through it all, his mother was a calm in the storm.

Perry’s famous comic character, Madea, is also said to have been inspired by Maxine.